The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-03-03
UNDER SENTENCE,
w. F. GORDON.

W. r. dORDON.
Southern Bivouac.
Under fire-in the midst of battle,
hot with action, Intoxicated with
noise, the y'.'ls Of comrades. the rattle
OF n,oskstry, the whiz OF minies, whir
Of balls, and CHATTER of shells, the
cheers of victors, the rush for position
and desperate holding, tho human
passion OF spiteful revenge, and the
reused taste for blood and carnage in
nate in the animal man-under fire in
the frenzy Of fight is no test OF courage.
Many man stands there because he
is afraid to run.
remember In the battle OF Port Re-
public--in the three days fighting
around Cross Keys, down lit the valley
of Virginia in 'es, our regiment, w. l..
Jackeon'S old thirty-frst Virginia,
was one of three ordered to storm and
take q battery of nine picces, support
ed by five regiments of infantry and
ecn,e OF the coolest, most accurate
sharp-shooters we had met. BY some
miscarriage the order came only to
our regiment, now decimated by fight
ing and forced marching to 214 men.
But We crewled up through that oat
field On our bellies, rising to shoot,
dropping again to load and advance.
And avorv tioo wo roen oor,vo 4 ~
dropped to rise no more. We neared
the crest until we could almost look
down the blac K sulphurous threats OF
those nine twelve-pounders that were
be!rhing grape and canister into our
very mouths.
Five times had our colors fallen
one, two, three, four, five of our tall
est brave fellows, one after another,
raised the reeimental flag, and fell,
shot through the forehead.
They had been picked off by the
sharp-shooters one after another,
those gallant West Virginia mountain
eers-as fast as q color bearer fell.
snatching up the flag and rising with
it,
The fifth had fallen. A sergeant
jumped from Company c to raise the
standard.
"Brtter let that thing alone. Bill, !"
growleu Lieut.. Cooper. use both
hands with your bay onet next rise"
Bill Cooper was a Pennsylvania. as
brave Il man as crawled back with
our remnant of ia that day. After
we had reached sale quarters and were
lying down to rest in the woods, he
turned to me to ask:
What were you looking up and
down the line in there for Bill?'
Lieutenant" was the answer, II
was looking for a chance to rum"
"By heaven, so was Il" grutfly re-
torted the quondam man OF valor:
"but, every fellow in the regiment was
looking right at me-"
Aye, aye, it takes less courage to
stand than to run away from q bat
tie.
But / did get a touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they
sent me Through tho lines' in the
"secret service"
Never mind my business, or how
was gathered in. Enough that they
bagsed me $50 miles inside the enc
my's lines and hustled me off to pris.
on in Baltimore harbor, where l was
confronted with the charge Of being a
spy. No matter that had on when
captured my full uniform as captain.
No matter that at my court martial
trial their own officer who captured
me testified that he did not take ME
as spy, and that there was no work
for q spy where he captured me.
No matter; / was found guilty, and
the sentence was read to me: ITO be
hanged as a spy on the parade ground
Of Fort McHenry, between the hours
of IL m. and 8 o'clock p. M, Nov 3,
j 1863"
In answer to my request that if they
must kill ME, for the sake of honor to
give me the death of a soldier, they
graciously changed the paper to read
ITO be shot to death with musketry
on the parade ground. etc."
Somehow, suppose I did not fully
comprehend or adequately appreciate
my situation, for I did not feel then,
any more than l do now that death
was to be my next deal. Nor had
at all contemplated that result all
through the trial. Only the last day
before that sentence was read to me
had been creating merriment
by asking puzzling or irrevelant
questions of the Judge advocate,
ceiling Jokes during the recesses OF the
tOurt, in divers manners creating fun
to draw mirth for myself out of that
barren rock, military Justice" Only
the day before the president of the
court martial, the colonel of the resi-
ment. twelve of whose officers com.
posed my adjudicators, asked to talk
a little with me in private as between
man and man.
''Of course"
Captain" said he. Il greatly fear
you do not properly appreciate your
present situation"
"Well, colonel, l know of no man
more favorabIy situated to realize it.
Why do you say so?"
Because, sir, your life is at stake in
this trial."
"Well?"
well. you'll be found guilty, most
as sSS.,'3iy'; of the CHARGE
+. you'll be sentenced to die"
"Well?"
"And you'll be hanged or shot! and
here you have been spending the leis-
ure hours Of the court, trying you for
life, in frivolous testing and mirth. As
| a fellow man it grieves me to see you
so carelessly Playing at so terrible a
brink az you stand on!''
"Colonel," was the reply, thank
you for your interest. Ii we are ma
t'onaI enemies, you speak as a man
and a soldier. But let me say this
(now cannot explain what induced
me to make thefollowiny foolish, brag.
CART speech, but it dubbed up and was
spoken: Colonel, you or may die
before night; we do not know; but in
| so far as the result of your courts
tin'ling is concerned, l will be alive
when you and your twelve officers are
dead and forgotten"
He left me in disgust, and don't
blame him,